I See You
by Human Emotions
Summary: Roxas nearly dies for Namine, but soon Namine feels as if she should die because of him.
1. Skyscraper

_**Looking down at the red-haired boy, the boy with strange silver hair, and the brunette girl who was shaking her head and had her hands covering her mouth, Roxas mouthed "Don't worry." He looked to the sky, perhaps for an answer. The dark, looming, purple-grey clouds above foresaw only doom, and Roxas almost couldn't swallow the lump in his throat. Riku, the silver headed one, shook his head, too, but in disgust instead of grief or worry. He could only think, My Lord, seriously, Roxas? This is what you've gone to do? For a girl! Good God, what **_**is**_** the matter with you?**_

**Axel, the one with fantastic, spiky red hair, seeing the look on Riku's face, smacked him on the arm. "Have some respect for the near-dead, Riku. That could be you some day." That got Riku to think. **_**No, I would never do that. Would I? **_**He shook his head once.**_** Never. Girls are girls. Even if I found true love, for God's sake, I wouldn't throw myself off a building for her.**_

**Spying him from the corner of her eye, shaking his head, Olette turned her head and glared at Riku. He did not notice her, for he too was eying the frightening clouds overhead. With both their heads turned up, Riku and Roxas looked almost alike, Axel noted mentally. Alike but completely different at the same time. Namine noticed, too. From where she was, far away. A tear ran down her delicate face like a snake. She looked up at the tall man adorned in black who stood behind her, watching as she was. He did not look at her, though, so she turned her face back to the images in front of her. **

**With his eyes closed and his head upturned, Roxas imagined himself next to his sweetheart, next to Namine. He imagined caressing her face and seeing her blue eyes again. He imagined too much, and nearly fell. The tip of his black shoe nearly slid out from under him and all his imagination-related bliss. Namine saw this and nearly cried out, nearly fell down with him. Riku saw this and almost grinned wide, almost laughed. Axel, too, almost laughed, but only because Roxas hadn't fallen. And also, it was a stupid thing to do. Olette nearly fainted, her schoolgirl crush on him had gone too far over the years to end that night.**

**Roxas looked down, now, over the edge he was so near too. He shuddered as he thought about how it would feel if she did not come and he did end up jumping, hitting the ground below. It would be over after that. She would cry and grieve, have nightmares and try hopelessly to find Roxas again. Namine was that type of girl; she never gave up. So when she fell to her knees and gazed intently into the pool of reality, she didn't scream or cry, she didn't faint or plead. She rested her head on it, stood up, and turned to face the cloaked man.**

**Suddenly, Riku spoke. More shouted than spoke, but that doesn't matter. "Roxas! Don't be an idiot!" he called, "You know everyone will regret this evening!" Roxas heard him. He closed his eyes tight and balled his hands into fists, and said to himself "I won't regret a thing," his eyes opened, just barely, "even if she doesn't come."**

**Suddenly, there was a light. It was not Namine as Roxas (and partially Riku) had hoped, but Demyx, another Organization member. He sighed deeply and said "Roxas, you know you can't do this. And I hate to be the one who has to tell you, but I drew the shortest straw. I don't see why Axel didn't tell you, though. Anyway, she's not coming back, and you're not leaving this rooftop without really admitting that you know that. Understood?" **

**Roxas' face became cold and emotionless when he reluctantly said "Understood." Demyx nodded but then proceeded to grab Roxas by the arm and drag him into the cloud of light that he had appeared in. "Demyx! Knock it off!" Demyx shook his head and said, "This is the only way we can be sure, Roxas child." Roxas struggled to get away, saying things like "I need to stay here! What if something does happen, Demyx? What if someone sees something and I'm not there? Demyx!"**

**Olette jumped up as high as she could but still was unable to see what was happening. "Axel! Let me get on your shoulders!" Axel rolled his eyes and told her: "It's merely Demyx, he's dealing with Roxas. Foolish child." Olette was not sure if that last statement was aimed at her or Roxas, but before she could question it, Riku spoke again, kinder words than before. "He'll be fine, they'll just talk to him and slap a cloak on him. Then they'll probably bring him to her." He shrugged. Olette turned red; partly from being talked to by Riku, and partly from fury, for they would take Roxas to **_**her.**__**Her**_** was not Olette.**

**Namine heard everything that was happening behind her while she spoke softly to the tall, dark man. "Will they do as Riku has said?" she asked him after some time of him simply shaking his head. First he looked around, up, down, left, right, back, then forward again. Then he kneeled so he was Namine's height, and lowered the hood that was covering his face. A boy who looked stunningly like Riku, perhaps even was, nodded and whispered, "He'll be here shortly, my dear." Then he kissed her cheek and was gone. She then realized it had been so long since she'd seen her friends last, and she wept.**

**Roxas shielded his eyes with his arm. He was wearing a cloak now, like Demyx had on. They were practically walking through a tunnel of light, so he didn't understand why they wore thick black cloaks. He was overheating, but he knew that he would soon be in a dimly lit room with few others dressed exactly the same. He sighed, still being dragged by the arm. His footsteps were loud and slow. Tragedy in each one.**


	2. Different worlds

**Namine sat and fingered the sapphire, the one strung on a silver chain and hung from her neck. Roxas had given it to her on her birthday last year. She sighed and looked down at the silvery pool. She yearned to reach down and be there, be on Earth with her friends. But Roxas was coming. Riku had said it, twice. Or what seemed like twice. He had said it at least once, she knew that. She dipped her finger into the image and it blurred and swayed. She saw Riku's head shoot up and search the clouds.**

**Roxas now groaned as he and Demyx neared the looming black door. Demyx quietly whispered "I don't want to be here anymore than you do, Roxas." Roxas nodded reluctantly and Demyx took the doorknob in his hand. He coaxed Roxas to go in front of him and then swung the door open. When Roxas didn't move he shoved him lightly. "Okay, okay!" Roxas said, loud enough for everyone else to hear him. It wasn't difficult to hear in a room merely about 10x10 feet that contained only now four people. Roxas and Demyx, obviously, and also Larxene and Xion. **

**Larxene and Demyx towered over Xion and Roxas, but nobody seemed to notice. Demyx pushed Roxas toward Xion and dragged himself over to Larxene. The older Nobodies conversed, almost casually, while the children merely fidgeted with their hands and stood awkwardly. Occasionally, when Roxas did catch a glimpse of her face, he noticed Xion's features. The same blue eyes that Kairi and Namine had, almost the same face, other than the hair. He then thought she was rather pretty. It made his quest all the more harder.**

**Riku now paced back and forth, making Olette want to scream. It was annoying her. Axel gently leaned over and said, quite calmly, "Would you like to go home, Olette? We'll surely notify you if Roxas comes back." When she looked doubtful, he added, "I'm sure your mother is worried, dear." Then she sighed, nodded, and walked off. With a smirk, he turned to Riku now, and said "Jealous?" Riku scowled and turned away from him, but muttered words unheard by Axel or Namine.**

**Speaking of Namine, she was worried. She could not see into the dim room in with Roxas and the others were speaking quietly. She could not hear them, either. She pressed her hand firmly into the foam-like floor, curling her fingers into the nothingness. She rolled over to lie on her back. Her eyes stung. Her hands shook. She laid them on her stomach, staring at the white ceiling. It seemed the extend for miles. She gently whispered the words hardly anybody dared to speak, "I love you."**

**Xion shifted her weight from foot to foot, holding her hands behind her back. Roxas didn't see her blushing. Larxene and Demyx finished whispered hurriedly and turned to the children. "Demy?" Xion asked softly. "Yes, darling?" he replied, smiling ear to ear. He liked children. He liked it when they called him Demy. His smile dropped. "Yes, Xion?" he asked her. She didn't answer. "Xion?" he asked a third time. Her mouth opened as if to speak, but before she did, she ran for the door. With everyone else confused, Larxene was the one to reach out and grab her by the shoulder. The lock clicked shut and it was dark.**


	3. Stumbling

"Xion!" Larxene exclaimed, spinning her. "What on Earth are you doing, child?" Xion's bottom lip trembled, and she struggled with words. "I…I couldn't…I don't know! Let me go! Don't touch me!" She jerked her body out of Larxene's arms and darted, not really in a direction, but away. And away happened to be right smack into Roxas.

"Are we just going to wait here?" Riku asked, having returned back to ground level. Axel rolled his eyes and popped his knuckles before simply saying "Yes." Riku groaned and plopped down on the ground, folding his legs to sit Indian-style. Axel took out his cell phone -a dinosaur, at that- and told Riku he was going to make an important call before disappearing into the large building.

Namine sort of screeched when Xion touched Roxas, a croaking, helpless sound. Her nails dug into her palms and her teeth ground into her lip. It was a sad sight, she was glad she was alone. She saw Xion flush and Roxas stumble. He wasn't focused. He wasn't focused and so he fell with her. Maybe Namine was the only one in this wide universe who noticed, but it had happened.

Roxas and Xion fell in a heap on the floor. The cool tile felt like a hammer against his head. She gasped and scrambled up off of him, about two feet away, and stared. Both of Roxas' hands had flown up to his head, his eyes were squinted shut, and he groaned. Larxene and Demyx had not known what to do, had just stood there gaping for a few moments before Larxene dashed to Roxas and told him to breathe evenly and stay lying down. Demyx placed his hand on the smaller girl's shoulder and stared as she did.

Riku was grateful that it wasn't an ordinary summer day. The sun did not beat down, burning everything. These purple-grey clouds blocked the city from the sun. From everything, really. He laid back and folded his arms under his head, squinting up at the small copper sliver in a single, dark blue, cloud. He heard and felt his stomach growl. He ignored it. The sliver, in it's red-metal-colored glory, did not change as the clouds did.

Roxas groaned as he opened his eyes. "What? No, I'm fine! Really!" he demanded, but Larxene rolled her eyes and pressed her hand to his chest. "Sit up, slowly." she told him. He did as she said, and she checked his eyes and so forth. "Alright, you're fine. Get up." she, herself, stood up, and waited for Roxas to stand as well.

"She hurt him." Namine hissed. She stood up and pounded the wall with her small fists, tears blurring her vision. "She hurt him and she wants him. But…he told me forever." she told herself, falling to her knees once more. "Love is Hell." she breathed, closing her eyes.

Roxas looked towards Xion and Demyx. What he saw was far from reality. "Nami!" he shouted, her image blurring now. "Nami, no…" he reached his hand out, only to have Xion take it. "I'm here. But I am not Nami, Roxas. I'm Xion. I'm Xion, see? X-I-O-N, Xion. Now, can you see me?" she asked him at last. He shook his head. He only saw Namine before him. "No. You're not Xion, you're Namine." he pulled her down beside him and stroked her dark hair which appeared light and blonde.

Namine did not know that he saw differently. Her eyes had shot open when she heard her name coming from the puddle. Her hearing ability had lowered after screaming in her sleep. She had not woken up to that, surprisingly.

Namine saw Roxas stroke Xion's hair lovingly, and her chest stung. All of her shook and she felt as if she must give up then and there.


	4. Imaginary Angel

**Riku stared at the sliver for a long time. Longer than he must've thought, because when Axel immerged from the tower he called out, "Have you been staring at the sky this **_**whole time?**_**" Riku turned his head and blinked at him. "Yes? No? Have you got any clue?" Axel asked, shaking his head. Riku thought for a moment. "Nah. Actually, yeah. But why does it matter?" he asked after a few moments. Axel shrugged. "I keep thinking the sun will pop out of nowhere and we'll burn to flakes." he said. "How pleasant!" Riku exclaimed.**

"**Namine! Don't deny yourself, it's not healthy." Roxas told Xion, grinning widely. **

"**He's out of it." Larxene said, gaping. **

"**Out of it? Who, me? No, no, no! I'm completely **_**in**_** it!" he said to Larxene, motioning to his surroundings. "Have you been smoking a little too much something-something?" she smirked. **

"**Hugs, not drugs, Larxene."**

"**Okay, let's go celebrate Gay Pride Week with the hippie, shall we?"**

"**How rude!" Roxas remarked, beginning to laugh. He fell over onto his side and dragged Xion down with him. "Nami, let's run to the ocean, m'kay?" he asked her, or told her, rather.**

"**I told you Roxas, I'm not Nami! I'm Xion!" **

"**So **_**Xion **_**is the love of my life? That doesn't sound right!" he grinned.**

**She broke.**

**Namine sat by the pool, drawing with charcoal on the floor. An elaborate image of a girl with horns. Short hair framed her face. A cloak was draped around her. Under the portrait was a caption. Xion, Capturer of Hearts.**

Riku and Axel stood atop the tower, now. Where Roxas had stood, about to jump, Riku and Axel joked and horsed around. In all their fun and frivolity, nobody noticed a petite blonde girl sitting on the ledge of the skyscraper. She was blind, deaf, and mute. Pale and sickly-looking. Her name was Namine, and Riku hadn't even noticed her.

"Roxas."

"Nami.""Xion!"

"Who?"

"Me!"

"Lies!"

"Ugh!"

"What's wrong?"

"My name is _not_ Namine!"

"That's the worst lie I've ever heard.""No it isn't! My name is indeed Xion and I think I love you."

Larxene and Demyx froze. "What did you say?" Larxene hissed, eyes wide.

"I said I love him."

"You said you _think you love me!" Roxas corrected._

_Xion rolled her eyes, groaning. "Can I leave? I want to disappear!" she whined._

_Namine hummed. A quiet song, a random song, not even a song. Riku froze. Axel stared at him. "Riku, man, what's up?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face._

"_Don't you see her?" he asked meekly. "Or hear her?"Axel paused to listen. "Oh, wait! …no." He chuckled. "Snap out of it, man."_

_Riku shook his head, eyes fixed on that angel. "She's the silhouette of what once was, Ax. A perfect ghost. A hidden love note. She's only herself, at that." he stated, nonchalantly. Axel turned around to see the empty rooftop. "Psycho." _

_Namine, the real Namine, not anybody's imaginary Namine, slept now. Her heart had stopped hurting long enough to doze off. She flinched in her sleep many times. She fell off that rooftop. She sat with Roxas. Aqua eyes bored into hers. She slept in sleep. Slept deeply in the arms of two souls. Tattered and broken, they were. But they were hers. She didn't want them both. But she did. She was gleeful and desolate. Greedy and selfless. Frozen and melting. She was herself again. Tearing. "I see you." she mumbled._

_Xion sighed, eyes closed. "Let me leave. Let me die, let me go! I changed my mind, I don't love him!" Lie. "He loves Namine and there's no need for him to need me, okay? So I hate everything!" she said in a quick breath. Larxene shook her head. "Nope. Boss-man wants to see you. So you get to come with me, honey." she said harshly. Xion's eyes snapped open wide. "No! I'm not going! You can't make me!" she retaliated. "Oh yes I can, little girl." Larxene gripped Xion's arm and a dark portal opened. First went Xion, shoved by Larxene, who followed. "I guess…that's that." Demyx said, stepping in after them. "Go on, Roxas! Go find Namine." he called out to a now sane Roxas. He understood everything that Xion had said. He swallowed as his heart pounded in his ears._

_A/N:_

_In no way did I mean to offend anybody with that "gay pride" comment. Sorry if you were offended at all. Blargh._


	5. Shining Glory

_**A/N: I can't do anything to change my font problems. BOLDUNDERLINEITALIC, AWAY! O_o. Oh…and….MAGIC!**_

_Roxas stumbled through the dark corridor that Axel had led him through. He felt drunk. His head spun and his heart did back flips and 360's. __Namine…Xion…Namine…Xion…_

Could he choose? He must.

~*~

Riku sat where the angel had been. Axel's eyes bored through his back, Riku felt them slowly make their way through his ribcage. Swallowing hard, he turned to look at him. "She was here, Axel." he insisted. "Yeah, man, I'm real sure." his crimson-headed friend nodded sarcastically. Then they heard a strange noise and both necks snapped to see their buddy.

~*~

Roxas stumbled one last time onto the rooftop. "Hey, guys," he mumbled. "Hey, Roxas, long time, no see," Axel joked. Riku rolled his eyes. "Har, har. Yo, Roxas, what's up with you? Looks like you just scaled up this thing," he commented, patting the railing that his head stuck through.

"Nah, just surprised, is all."

"Surprised?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow. "Surprised how?"

"Girls, man, they'll kill me someday."

"Hey, don't jinx it, brah," Axel chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Riku said, "the kid's had enough." Then he swung out from under the shiny railing and strode over to Roxas, who looked ready to faint. Riku towered over him, having grown over the summer. "Man, you look like you've just seen a ghost, or something," Riku told him, though he wasn't sure Roxas was listening. "Hey, man, I know who you need to see," he sighed, walking towards the glistening puddle that had just appeared a few yards away. "C'mon."

~*~

Namine stared at the duplicate, another glistening puddle, that had formed a few yards away from where she lay. Her limp hair partially blocking her view of the strange new thing, she listened to the distant-sounding footsteps that still echoed through the white room. "Let me be," she whispered. "I'm broken enough, aren't I?"

Riku stepped into the puddle that was now a cloud of glitter. "Err…c'mon, Roxas…" he said, sticking his arm through the sparkles. Roxas shrugged, gave Riku a weak shove, and followed him into the tricked-out cloud. They walked for a while, simply in a hallway. The corridor walls were glittering cloud. Riku was a little freaked out, but Roxas just continued on, a little less gloomy. Perhaps it was the sparkly. 

Namine sat up now, spying on the glimmering fog in the corner of her room. She had a strange feeling, as if it would swallow her if she got close enough. "So," she said to herself, "what is this thing?" The cloud stirred, looking like a miniature blizzard. "Is it…moving?" she asked herself again, eyes wide. "Yes, it is, Namine," she heard herself say.

Roxas stepped out of the cloud, rubbing his eyes. "Blargh!" he groaned, "I think I'm blind!" 

"Oh, shut up, pansy!" Riku said, shoving him aside, then mumbled "Whoa…"

Namine stared at the boys. Apon seeing their faces, she forgot everything all at once. She thought of the most random thing she could and exclaimed "You're late for tea!"

She got a couple photo-worthy looks and a "Thanks, hatter," from Riku. But from Roxas, she got a "Nami!" and a tackle. "R-Roxas!" She laughed weakly. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again," she admitted.

"Well, why not?" he asked, perplexed.

"Um…well…I don't know, I guess."

He shook his head. Namine noticed Riku over in the corner, watching them, eyes astray. She resisted the urge to frown and actually smiled. "I missed you!" she laughed, kissing him softly, surprising herself. Roxas's eyes widened and he muttered "Yeah, me too," flushing furiously. "Silly boy," Namine whispered, her voice gentle.

"Nami?" Riku asked later, after Roxas had passed out. Apparently white makes him drowsy. 

"Mhm?""You love him, don't you?""I don't know, Riku. Maybe."

"He loves you.""I don't think so," she said, eyes forlorn.

"Of course he does," Riku told her, a little too close, towering over her. He stroked her cheek gently, frowning. "But, I think that might be a problem.""What? Why?""Because, I believe I love you, too," he confessed, kissing her forehead.

"Ri-""Don't. You don't need to tell me anything."

"Yeah, I do. You're like my brother, it's not cool, this thing we have.""What thing?""The urge, the need. You know…" she said, looking extremely pained.

"I…don't.""Please, just, I can't do this with you. Yes, I love Roxas. But neither of you are right for me. I just want to disappear, you see?"

"You can't, I need you, Nami. Honestly."

"No," she said blankly.

Roxas opened his eyes then. He saw a lot of white, then made out the shape of Riku embracing Namine. "Yeah," Riku said, kissing her forehead again. Roxas didn't quite catch that, but he knew that they were much too close. "Hey," he said, but his voice was quiet. He strained to stand up, but his limbs didn't obey. _Too tired,_ he thought.

Then he saw Namine look up into Riku's eyes, give up, and kiss the silver-headed boy. Roxas nearly choked on his own heart.


	6. Dreams & Reality

"Oh, Universe," Roxas said, quite loudly, before his head hit the (surprisingly firm, obviously painful) of course, white, floor. Namine slowly turned to look at him, startled. "Roxas!" she blurted, breaking away from Riku. She gaped at him while Riku rushed over to his side. "I knew this kid would faint sometime today," he muttered. Riku checked his pulse and tried shaking him awake. "Just leave him alone," Namine whispered. "He needs the rest."

"Err, Nami, he just nearly had a heart attack, y'know."

"So?""So I think he should be awake.""He'll slaughter someone.""And?""It might be me.""Nah.""Riku, we can't avoid what happened.""What?""I kissed you.""So?""So I love Roxas. And you, a little."

"How do you love someone a little?""Don't question it!"

"I can't not question it," he said, not sure of what he had actually said.

She shook her head. Riku swore he saw tears welling up in her eyes, but he was too far away to be sure. He decided not to ask her about it, either. Suddenly, both Riku and Namine noticed that the cloud was still hovering in the corner. Namine glanced at Riku before making a beeline for it. "Namine!" he shouted, but she had disappeared.

"Dammit," Riku muttered, trying to get Roxas to wake.

~*~

Roxas was in a new world. A better world. Where girlfriends didn't cheat with guys you thought were your friends, and new girls didn't confess to loving you. The grasses where green, the skies blue. He was happy here. But he new it wasn't real. He was dreaming. He had hit his head a little too hard when his perfect girlfriend kissed someone else, not six yards away from his sleeping self.

But here, things were different. He was in a dream, he was happy. There was no Namine in sight, just a confused, dark-haired, stunningly beautiful Xion. She wasn't wearing her regular cloak, but a short jean-skirt and a long-sleeved tee. She smiled, her bangs falling in front of her eyes. She laughed lightly and called "Roxas!" Her voice sent a chill down his spine, and he knew that he was in like with her.

~*~

"Roxas!" Riku shouted in a last resort to wake him. Roxas sat bolt upright and yelled "I don't love her!"

Riku stared at him. "Who?" he asked, bemused. "Who what?" Roxas asked, stupidly trying to cover his mistake. "Who don't you love?" Riku asked, half-hoping he was going to say Namine. "Err, Larxene," he said, thinking it was an absolutely genius thing to say. Riku stared at him again, so Roxas told him "Bad dream. Bad, bad dream." Riku nodded, not quite getting it, but then remembered what had happened. "Namine! She just bolted out!" he said, exasperated. "Uh, Riku, I hate to break it to you, but there's no exit." Riku spun around only to see that Roxas hadn't been lying. "Awh, shitfuck."

"Yeah, so, how do we get out?" Roxas asked. "I don't know! Imagine a sparkly cloud of love and rainbows, and tell me how that goes," Riku suggested. Roxas shook his head. "Nah, I'd rather cut my own fingers off, but great thinking," he assured. "Well, Blondie, you think of something!" Riku said harshly, trying to avoid the subject of kissing. I guess he jinxed it, because Roxas then asked, "How about you tell me why you kissed Nami?"

"Dude," Riku started, dumbfounded. "I'm real sorry and all, but _I_ didn't kiss _her_."

"You fucking liar! I know _she_ would never cheat on me!" Roxas lied, his anger flaring up.

"Hey, Roxas, man, I didn't do anything wrong. You know Nami's like my sister, but I love her, and I can't deny that. I was lucky enough to get that close, let alone have her kiss me. And I'm really sorry, but you can't get pissed at me. I didn't do anything." He spoke calmly and clearly, trying not to make Roxas even angrier. He didn't succeed.

"You son of a bitch," Roxas muttered as he rose to his feet. "If you ever touch Namine again, I'll beat the living hell out of you," he warned. Riku knew it was probably true. Just because Riku was taller didn't mean that he was stronger than Roxas. And sometimes Roxas carried a gun. A gift from his father, before he left for good. It was a great thing, new, shiny, lethal. And Roxas knew how to use it. "Okay, man, I get it. I won't ever talk to the girl again. If that's what you think it right, than that's what I'll do. Just don't do anything you might regret."

~*~

_The fug…_ Namine thought, looking around the glistening cavern. She slumped against the wall and nearly fell to pieces. _Nothing will ever be right again. _

She slid to the floor and started sobbing, wretched bursts of emotion. "I'm sorry," she blubbered, not seeing clearly. "I've hurt you both." She looked up and saw, through her painful tears, mostly white, but a sliver of dark at the end of the hall-tunnel. She tried standing, but failed. She settled for crawling. The end seemed nearer and nearer, but at the same time farther and farther away. Finally she collapsed on the ground, closing her eyes tightly. She army-crawled, feeling blindsided with her eyes closed, to the exit. She found her inner strength, slowly made her way back up to her feet, and plunged into the cool, dark, earthen air.

Her expression was one of horror and joy, together, combined. "Yes," she whispered, gazing around the rooftop. Axel had long since left, allowing her to be alone. She took the Universal hint and started to sprint, gaining momentum. _Nobody will notice,_ she told herself before she leapt onto the railing and sprung off just as quickly, sending her petite self flying - or falling, rather - toward the damp city concrete. The wind whistled through her lifeless hair and her arms spread wide, embracing what would happen. _Yes. _


	7. Fresh

Xion choked on her breathing air. She couldn't see, hear, or sense anything. "What the shit?" she asked aloud, in the dark place Larxene had brought her. She had abruptly disappeared, leaving Xion alone, cold, and dazed. "Hellooo? Larxene?" she called out, not exactly expecting an answer. She didn't dare step forward, but stepping back wouldn't be a great idea, either. So she sat down, hugging her knees. _Take me away,_ she pleaded with her innermost thoughts. _If I get out of here today, I'll give up sugar, apple juice, whatever! I'll give up _boys, _if you just let me go home. _She swore she felt a tear trickle down her cheek, but she did nothing to prove its existence. She felt like she was sinking, sinking down to a place worth escaping from. A place where only darkness and fear were alive. She broke into sobs, trying to crawl away. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. This was a nightmare, and she wasn't waking up. "Hey, Xion!" she heard a familiar voice call. It sounded far-off, and she knew she would never reach it. It was torture, pure torture. "Xion, where'd you go?" the voice called again, sounding confused.

She forced her eyes to open. She was in her bedroom, safe. She could see. Sweat trickled down her neck and her pillow was laden with fresh tears. But she was alright. She was fine.

~*~

Xion dragged her feet down the stairs of her home, unaware that her parents and little sister were gone. She grumbled all the way, finally stopping in the kitchen. She heard the front door open and ignored it. She rummaged through the fridge, not exactly looking for anything. She heard the sound of high-heels behind her. She slowly turned and her heart jumped into her throat. Larxene stood, tapping her foot. "Well? What are you waiting for, hurry up!" she demanded, rolling her eyes. "W-what? Why are you even here?" Xion asked, suddenly annoyed. "This is _my_ house!" she pointed out.

Larxene rolled her eyes again. "This is _your_ house, but _you_ are _mine_ for the day. Get it?" Xion took a moment to consider this before agreeing. "Good, now go put some decent clothes on, we've got business to do," Larxene said with a sparkle in her eyes. Xion was, well, utterly confused, but she rushed up to her bedroom and dressed wearily. She felt a tad lightheaded, nothing she couldn't handle. She ran a comb through her short hair and draped her black cloak over her arm before returning to Larxene. "No, no, none of that," the blonde told her, gesturing toward the cloak. Xion noticed that Larxene was dressed like a normal person, too. "Oh," she said, curious as to what they would be doing. Larxene squinted at her and reviewed her outfit. "Hm," she began, "I _suppose_ that's okay." Xion looked down. What was wrong with her clothes? She had on a pair of tan capris and a long-sleeved navy tee-shirt. She wondered briefly if she looked like a Walmart worker, but diminished the thought.

"So, Xion, can you guess where we're going?" Larxene asked, eerily cheery, as the two girls walked through the early-morning emptiness of Twilight Town. "Uh, no," Xion confirmed. Larxene rolled her eyes once again, some of the happiness dripping away. "We're _going_ shopping. And to get you made-over. Y'know, girly things. You need some of that, if you want a boyfriend," Larxene droned on and on. _A boyfriend? _Xion wondered, half-listening to Larxene. She was cut off mid-sentence by Xion shouting "Gosh! Why do you care?"

Larxene looked a little stunned. "Why do I care?" she repeated. Xion nodded. "Well, frankly, I don't. But you're whole '_I love Roxas but he doesn't love me!' _thing is getting pretty annoying," she said, shrugging. Xion stopped walking and stared at Larxene, eyes wide. "_What?_" Larxene demanded, annoyed by the silence. "That," Xion stuttered, "is not true!" Larxene raised an eyebrow. "Come on, kid, a day or two ago you were all '_Roxas, I love you!'_ and now, _this?_ Make up your frickin' mind!" Xion couldn't say anything for a while. Finally, she said "Where are we going first?" This made Larxene smirk. She grabbed Xion's arm and pulled her toward a little boutique that just screamed "princess!" Xion groaned. "Here?" she asked, exasperated. "Yeah, here," Larxene said, smirking. Xion couldn't tell if it was torturous or giddy. That frightened her.

_~*~ _

Xion saw some familiar-looking characters are Larxene dressed her like a Barbie doll. She thought one of them looked like this girl she'd seen around, Kairi was her name. She almost called out to her, but Larxene leered into her eyes and that shut her up. When they burst out of that store, it seemed like they were leaving a trail of pink clothing behind them.

"What the heck?" Xion demanded as Larxene grinned, sitting her down in a high chair. She called out to a woman, who apparently worked there, to get her ass over to them, _pronto._ She nodded, looking irritated, and walked over. "Yes?" she asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. "This girl here needs a _makeover,_ fast," Larxene explained, grinning cunningly. Xion's eyes pled "No, no!" but Larxene just smiled back, as if to respond "Oh, yes." The woman nodded and adjusted the chair's height, looking over Xion's features. _Oh, lord,_ Xion thought. All her thoughts drifted away as the woman lowered the back of the chair and started to dampen her hair. Larxene nodded and stepped away, saying something about being back in forty-five minutes. Xion closed her eyes, half-asleep. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea.

~*~

Larxene made her way to the entrance, her only hope to get out of this sickening place. She, herself, would never go here for a makeover, as if she ever needed one. She shuddered as she slipped through the glass doors and into the sunlight of midday Twilight Town.

She turned corners and strode through the streets as if she'd done so her whole life. She smirked as she turned the final corner, arriving at her destination. Two college-aged men stood under the clock tower, looking impatient. As soon as the younger-looking one saw her, his face light up. He nudged the other guy and nodded toward Larxene. She smiled gracefully as she approached. "Ah, boys, here you are," she remarked, as if she had been looking for them, or expecting them to be elsewhere. The older one just rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Larxene?" Axel demanded. "Me? Oh, just to see you, darlings," she assured them, mostly Demyx. He was easily fooled. "So, Lar-lar, why do you want to see us?" Axel asked her, using his pet name for her. She gritted her teeth. "Axel, cut the crap. I told you not to call me that. You remember what I said?" she told him, her eyes lighting up with hatred. "I believe it was something like '_I'll fucking kill you,'_ wasn't it?" he asked, smirking. "Yeah, and I keep my word," she reminded him, turning to Demyx. "And you, Dem-Dem, you're looking cuter than ever." He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. Axel elbowed him in the gut. "She's just being a flirt, Demyx, trying to mask her insane bitchiness."

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, he's right, Demyx. You're mega annoying and I don't know why I chose _you to meet me here." She shrugged. "I should've asked Saix or something." Demyx looked a little stunned, but shrugged it off. "Whatever. So, what do you really want?" he asked, agitated. Larxene shrugged. "I've got, like, an hour to blow. I'm bored." Axel scoffed. "Why don't you go, I don't know, do some good deeds or something? Karma's a bitch, you know." Larxene rolled her eyes again. "Karma is nothing but lies to get slackers to do some work," she said. Axel shrugged. He was dressed like a high school student, anyone could mistake him for a quarterback or point guard, aside from his hair. The spikes of flame-red hair (that no high school student would ever have, let alone be able to pull off) almost swayed in the autumn breeze. Demyx looked more like, well, a percussionist in the school band. Almost dorky, but almost cool. In between. His hair was a little easier to come to grips with._

_Larxene sighed, looking up at the clock. She still had about half an hour to blow. "I guess, I'll catcha' later, dorks," she called as she walked away, heading toward a little café. She decided she would order a cappuccino or something, then hang around at the salon until Xion was done._

_~*~_

_Xion opened her eyes sleepily, resisting the urge to groan "five more minutes!" The beautician looked at her, as if looking over her work. She smiled as Xion opened her eyes, then spun her around in the chair so she could see herself._

_Xion felt and saw her jaw drop. Her skin looked softer than velvet, her blue eyes highlighted by eyeliner, mascara, and eye shadow. Her hair looked shinier, smoother. She couldn't believe she was still herself. She looked down at her fingers, the nails painted electric blue. Her toes were the same shade. "I…can't…" she stuttered, unable to cope with this magnificent transformation. Her lips, as she watched them in the mirror, were a soft pink. "I was pretty sure you wouldn't want those blue, too," the woman said with a smile. "Thank you!" was all Xion could manage. Larxene was leaning against the make up counter, sipping a latte, grinning. _


End file.
